Strings of Fate
by lovergal1227
Summary: After finding out his clan's heinous plans, Itachi kills his family, and leaves with their target. Years later, his charge must return to Konoha. Mission: Befriend the Shukaku vessel, get revenge on Konoha, and break little Sasuke. ItaNar onesided SasNar
1. It begins

**Neko-chan: All right, I know you people want me to hurry up and update my other stories, but here's the thing. I really do not enjoy the SasuNaru pairing anymore. Sasuke doesn't deserve Naruto, okay! He's a traitorus asshole and I hate his guts! So, here's a new story.**

**Sasuke: Hey, don't blame me, okay! Blame my creator!**

**Itachi: Move aside, little brother. Neko-chan has a new favorite pairing.**

**Sasuke: DAMN YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I'LL KILL YOU, ARGH!!!!!!**

**NC: Take it outside, boys!**

**Naruto: -in the Corner of Gloom- Why is it that _I'm_ the one always being molested by Uchihas?**

**NC: Poor, poor Naruto-kun. -hears a crash- DON'T YOU DARE BREAK MY STUFF!!!!**

**Naruto: Well, while she's going to kill them, I better say her stuff. -ahem- Neko-chan does not own any of us. The pairings are going to be -shudders- ItaNaru and one-sided SasuNaru, just so the teme stops abusing her. Also, there are warnings of slight OOCness and the rating may increase in the future. So...yeah.**

* * *

"ITA-KUUUUNNN!!!!" Itachi flinched as a small figure pounced on him. Itachi looked down to see watery blue eyes and a trembling lip. Sunflower hair went in every direction as the twelve-year-old trembled. 

"What is it?" The elder male asked with a slightly irritated tone.

"Zetsu's trying to eat me again!" He wailed, as tears spilled like waterfalls. Itachi sighed and glared at the shadow where he knew a certain cannibal lurked, waiting for his chance to pounce on the blond boy. Hardening his glare, Itachi scooped the child into his arms. In order not to fall, Naruto threw his arms around his neck, clinging onto him. Knowing that capture of the demon vessel would be futile with Itachi in close contact, Zetsu turned and left.

Naruto sighed happily that he wasn't going to be eaten and leaned onto the shoulder of his savior. Even after he sensed Zetsu had gone, Itachi still held onto the smaller male protectively. He honestly didn't understand how this protective nature started. All Itachi knew was that, when it started, it couldn't be stopped.

**Five years earlier: **

Itachi scowled as he sat outside of the Uchiha estate. It was broad daylight, but he was already thinking about the decision he made. He was going to act it out…tonight.

Some time earlier, he had killed his friend, his best friend, over the exact reason he was going to take care of the rest of his clan. Itachi knew about what the Uchihas were planning. He knew what they were going to do in order to be looked at more highly than the Hyuugas.

They were going to kill a seven-year-old child.

Now, Itachi knew about the Kyuubi. Before the third Hokage issued his law, his parents told him to stay away from Uzumaki Naruto, the newborn child who had the Kyuubi sealed within him. He, of course, found this ridiculous that they would fear a child, whether or not he had a demon within him. In fact, the way they treated him after the Third issued the law was even more ridiculous than fearing him. Did they really expect shunning him, insulting him, and abusing him would prevent the demon from coming out? And, if Naruto ever found out about the demon, would he really have a reason not to send it on a murderous rampage through the village? Really, people! Prodigy or not, a five-year-old figured this out! Why couldn't an entire village full of adults with developed brains figure it out?!

Itachi knew that this was only going to be the beginning. He knew that his father and the rest of the adults of the clan would become overwhelmed with the power they had, and he knew that they would abuse that power to no ends. They wouldn't stop with the respect of the villagers, they would go for full obedience. No one would object since they were such heroes to kill a seven-year-old (note the sarcasm in this sentence). That would lead to them expecting full control of the village, and they would most likely get it and dictate the village into flames.

So, he was going to do what he was raised to do. Solve his problems by eliminating them. He was going to make sure the Uchihas die out. Yet…he knew he couldn't kill his younger brother. So he was going to have to break him. Break him to the point where all he could think about was revenge. The Uchiha clan will end with Itachi and Sasuke.

Currently, his eyes were set upon a familiar blond child walking on the path. This was Uzumaki Naruto, the child that was going to die the next day. Itachi had not been present to hear the Uchiha's plan, but his interrogation of Shisui was enough to know when he had to prevent it. He had the whole thing planned out already. The current issue was to insure that this boy didn't have any contact with the Uchihas before then.

Of course, that problem was being solved by itself. The closer Naruto walked to the Uchiha estate, the harsher the glares and the hurtful whispering became. He had his usual grin on, but Itachi could easily see through the mask. In those blue eyes were unshed tears, pleading to be released. But the vessel was stubborn. He wouldn't allow the villagers to have the satisfaction of seeing him cry. Itachi felt himself admiring the boy for some reason. To be able to wear such a mask at his age was difficult. Even as a child himself, Itachi felt it hard to wear a mask of indifference. He was a child, children shouldn't be allowed to wear masks. But, he was also an Uchiha. That was the exception to the rule. The thirteen-year-old couldn't help but wonder how many more cruel people in this world were going to force children to wear masks.

Itachi appeared to have his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall, but his eyes were slightly open, and he followed the blonde's moves. Despite himself, Itachi almost jumped in surprise when he saw one of the men of the village tackle the child into an alleyway. Some people were shocked, too, but then they disregarded it and continued on with their lives. When the painful cries of the seven-year-old could be heard, Itachi felt his fists clench and he growled.

Finally not being able to take it anymore, the Uchiha prodigy moved from his place and walked to the alley. He looked in, and snarled at the sight. Three large men, all civilians, were gathered around the blond boy. What disgusted him was that they were kicking at him, and laughing at the cries of pain.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Itachi snarled more venomously than he intended. They stopped and looked at him in surprise at the interruption.

"Ah, Itachi-san!" One said with a smile.

"Please, don't worry, we're just taking care of the village's monster problem." The second directed a glare at Naruto, who was curled up in a ball and whimpering. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He then walked into the alley, right past the three men, and stopped in front of Naruto.

"Oh, do you want the honor of finishing him off?" The last of the three asked. Itachi didn't answer. Instead, he bent down and scooped the child into his arms, lifting him off the dirty ground.

"W-what are you doing? Are you actually _helping_ that monster?!"

"Leave…" Itachi said simply. The men, stupid as they are, didn't get the hint and stayed.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Go. Now." Itachi turned, and he didn't need the sharingan to pull off the death glare he gave those men. They all cried out in fear and ran off screaming. When they were gone, he looked down at the bloody bundle in his arms and sighed. He didn't need to attract attention before tonight, but maybe this will make it so that all the Uchihas that were of high status would be called to an emergency meeting concerning this. It would make it a lot easier to target them.

But, to the matter at hand now. Itachi saw that most of the major wounds were already healing up and he felt small leaks of demonic chakra. Most likely the Kyuubi trying to prevent its own death by preventing the death of its jailor. With a frown of exasperation, the young ANBU soldier jumped off to a more secluded place where he could help the child in peace.

It wasn't until a few hours before sundown did the blond boy wake up. He opened his blue eyes to find himself on a bed of grass right under a tree in the shade. He was wrapped in a thin blanket, and noticed that he was stripped to his underwear. While frantically looking for his clothes, Naruto finally noticed the 13-year-old Uchiha sitting by a makeshift clothesline that had his not-bloodstained clothing.

"Finally, you're awake." Itachi muttered, staring out into the calm river right by them. He had spoken without so much as moving his head, so Naruto was startled. After overcoming his surprise, he was suddenly filled with fear. Him, alone with a stranger, and Uchiha nonetheless, out of eyesight from the Hokage Tower. Those small factors spelled trouble in the blonde's head as he tried to inch away.

"If I was really determined to hurt you, do you think I would have waited for you to awaken? Baka…" Itachi muttered the last part under his breath, but Naruto heard it and his anger spiked before he calmed once more.

"Why am I here then? Did you help me?" He asked with a suspicious voice. It was evident in the tone that he found the thought of anyone helping him recover was a laughable concept. Now, helping him suffer, that wasn't so improbable.

"Well, if you're so determined to bleed to death, I can always take you back." Itachi replied, even though he wouldn't really take the blond back to a village full of ingrates. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how stupid the citizens of Konoha were. On more than one occasion did he hear someone mention 'that child should have never been born, he'll kill us all'. True, if Naruto wasn't born, he wouldn't kill them. Why would he need to, when the Yondaime can't find a newborn child with the umbilical cord freshly cut, thus not finding a way to seal the Kyuubi, and the demon would have just killed them all over a decade ago. Itachi once voiced that, and he was met with stupefied stares.

Idiots…

"No, no. I'm good." Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. Itachi just shrugged and continue to look at the river. There was movement behind him and Naruto walked up to him, the blanket wrapped around him as he decided to sit in a warmer area. After a moment of silence, the blond spoke up.

"Why did you save me?" He asked in a very quiet voice. Itachi had to strain himself to hear it, but he heard it, yet he didn't know the answer.

It may be because Itachi saw some of himself in the blond. A child, walking around with a mask. Expectations thrust upon him that he didn't want. Although, unlike the expectations of success pushed on Itachi, Naruto was expected to be a failure. He was expected to become a demon, although his becoming a demon would be entirely their fault. He was expected to harm the children he tried so hard to become friends with. He was expected to take their hatred, to take their disgust, to take their utter loathing without complaint. Why? Because those ingrates thought the seven-year-old, the child who wasn't even given a chance to see the world before those expectations were thrust upon him, deserved it. As much as he was ashamed of his family, Itachi was even more ashamed of the villagers he pledged to protect.

"Naruto…" The elder said. Naruto was surprised that Itachi was actually giving an answer and nodded his head to show he was listening. "Do you have a reason to stay in this village?"

Once again surprised, Naruto stayed silent. Having not expected such a question, he didn't have a thoroughly thought out answer. It was about three minutes before he answered. "Well…I like the old man! He is always really nice to me, and helps me out a lot when the villagers won't let me buy food or get clothes. Iruka-sensei too! He is the only teacher that smiles at me, and he treats me to ramen all the time. I really don't like ramen, but it's cheap, so Iruka-sensei doesn't lose too much money because of me!" He said this with a smile before it turned into a sad frown.

"Of course, Iruka-sensei sometimes glares at me for a few minutes before smiling. It's like he's trying to look for something and is happy when he finds it. And I hear a lot of people saying bad things about the old man because he takes care of me. I like them both but…I'm just a burden to them. So, I don't have a reason to stay. Not a good one, anyways." He said. Itachi nodded, as if satisfied with the answer. The silence was uncomfortable, but the Uchiha broke it by standing up.

"I'll take you away." He said, causing the blond child to blink in surprise. "Tonight, I'm leaving this village. I'll take you with me. I'm going to a place that will accept you, and you won't be treated like trash any longer. Of course, you have to choose to follow me or not. If you wish to come, then wait here after you leave the academy. Don't bring anything with you, and don't tell anybody about this. Understand?"

Stupefied, Naruto nodded. When Itachi left after returning Naruto's cleaned clothes, he almost expected the blond not to go through with it. After all, a child would still feel loyal to the village they grew up in, even if the village treated said child like crap. But, he came. And he didn't even ask about the blood. In fact, Naruto never stopped following him, even after Itachi told him about the massacre.

It was difficult, of course, to convince the leaders of the Akatsuki not to rip the Kyuubi out of the blond. He managed to convince them by reasoning with them that even if they did take the Kyuubi out, the most powerful of the tailed demons would most likely overcome their attempts to control it. While in Naruto's body, it can be easily controlled. This, of course, led to Naruto actually finding out about the demon. Surprisingly, Naruto wasn't too upset. In fact, he was elated.

_"All right! Now I can become stronger, and I'll be able to repay Itachi-san for saving me and taking me away from the village! You'll see. I'll be the strongest ever, and I'll be able to help you and not be a burden. I promise, Itachi-san!" _

**Present time: **

"Ita-kun! Ita-kun, you're zoning out!" Naruto said waving his hand in front of red eyes. Itachi blinked, and turned to the blond, who had his head tilted in confusion. "You've been doing that a lot lately. Are you ill?"

"No, just things on my mind." Itachi replied. The blond seemed satisfied with that explanation and he nodded as he jumped off from his seat on the Uchiha's shoulder. As a comfortable silence settled between the pair, Kisame walked into the room.

"Hey there, Sushi!" Naruto said.

"Don't call me that, you little brat!" Kisame snarled bopping the boy on the top of his head. "Oh, Itachi. You're being summoned." He added as Naruto tried to run away from the chokehold he was being held in. Itachi made a sound of acknowledgement and left, knowing that Kisame wouldn't let Naruto be harmed, no matter how much the two get on each other's nerves.

As Itachi walked to the center of the caves, an icy feeling curled in his gut. The kind that tells a person that something was going to happen that they would not like one bit. Surprisingly, when he got that feeling, Naruto came into his mind. Would the leader tell him they were going to remove the Kyuubi anyways? No, the mysterious man knew and agreed completely that they couldn't trust their jutsu to control the strongest of the tailed demons. So… what?

"Itachi…" The man said in the shadows of the room the Uchiha entered. As usual, he didn't see the leader's face. No one ever has.

"Itachi, there's been an enlightenment concerning one of the tailed demons." The man started. "We have discovered that the one-tailed tanuki is sealed within a suna child known as Gaara. However, obtaining that demon will be more difficult than one would think. The tanuki is the weakest of the tailed demons, but his defenses are strong. Striking him directly will only mean death to those going after him. To avoid unnecessary casualties we need someone to get close to him somehow, and we will strike him when his guard is down."

"…You're sending Naruto." Itachi said as a statement of fact. He could see where this was going. He wanted someone to befriend this demon vessel, and who better than another demon vessel? This wouldn't be his first deceiving mission. Because he was a child, Naruto was perfect to lure unsuspecting targets into a sense of security. But none of them knew about his strengths, about his powers. Naruto was strong, not as strong as Itachi, of course, but getting there. The blond had been trained since he found out about the Kyuubi, and it was painfully obvious that the fox decided to take half of that training into its own paws.

"Yes. There's a genin team in your home village that was recommended for the chunin exams. However they ran into some…difficulties and lost one of their team members. The Kyuubi vessel will be sent there with a sob story and, if he can follow normal procedures, he will be admitted to their team." The leader said.

"May I inquire as to how you are so sure they will allow him to graduate for the sake of that particular team?" The reply was a low chuckle.

"Itachi, you and the Kyuubi vessel know perfectly just how fickle your darling home village is. They only see the skin and never look at the potential underneath. The vessel knows that more than anyone. Do you really think I would have allowed him to roam free had I not seen the strength that will become the pride of the Akatsuki?

"Naruto will be automatically accepted as a member of this team, because they want a certain child to become a chunin, to become their village pride. They have high expectations for this child. Because he is the last of a clan that a certain missing nin I know slaughtered." Itachi's eyes widened when he realized who he was talking about.

"Sasuke…"

"That's right. They, of course, will be unhappy to allow the vessel to become a ninja of their village, but their pride will tell them that, when your brother becomes a chunin, they can just get rid of the extra weight. Before they get the chance, we need the Shukaku, and then you can take your precious charge back before they do anything harmful to him. I would summon him myself, but I think he would enjoy it much more if you tell him about his first solo mission." The Uchiha nodded and turned, walking out of the room and back to where he left Naruto and Kisame.

He honestly wasn't sure _how_ the blond would react to his first solo mission. Most of the missions carried out were with Itachi himself and Kisame. Even when he had to speak to the targets alone, Itachi was always right there in case something went wrong. He was on his own now. Itachi couldn't possibly get away with watching over him 24/7. It was just too risky and one small slip up could ruin everything. No…Naruto had to do this by himself. He should have faith in the blond, the boy was a master deceiver. Sometimes he would even convince Itachi himself that he wasn't up to no good when, in all honesty, he was. Of course, after a while, one gets used to it and knows the difference between the real Naruto and Acting Naruto.

"DAMN IT, YOU FUCKING BRAT!!! I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU!!!!"

"You can't do that if you can't catch me. Nayh, nyah!"

"GET OVER HERE!!!"

Itachi sighed and rubbed his head when he heard the daily arguments between his partner and his charge. As usual, Naruto must have pushed one button to many, causing the larger man to chase after him, prepared to dice the blond up, but not actually intending to do such a thing. Itachi walked in to see Naruto running on the walls while Kisame was attacking him with one of their regular katanas instead of his Samehada.

"Stop it." Said Itachi firmly. Naruto stopped in mid-run and clung onto the roof while Kisame put the sword away and glowered at the annoying child.

"That was quick, Ita-kun. What did he need?" The blond asked curiously. Itachi sat on one of the stone seats and motioned for Naruto to do the same. He told him about the mission he was expected to do, and a folder containing all the specific details that Naruto needed to remember. Kisame stayed during this talk, and watched as Naruto's face stayed blank. Even so, he could feel the emotions of pure shock radiating from the blond.

"Looks like you're finally getting your own mission, brat." Kisame commented, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Naruto nodded as he set the mission folder on fire. A sign that he's memorized everything.

"Ita-kun…are you coming with me?" The blond asked. Itachi shook his head 'no'.

"You're doing this alone. I will come for your report occasionally, but it's basically a solo mission." He said. Naruto nodded and looked down, anxious at the fact that he's not going to be with anyone this time. What if he messed up? What if he did something to endanger the organization, or worse? He knew about Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother. What if Sasuke knew that Naruto knew Itachi? A river of concerns raged in his mind.

**_WILL YOU SHUT UP?!_** the Kyuubi finally demanded, startling Naruto out of his fogged mind.

Itachi sighed, seeing that his predictions were true. Naruto was nervous, but he could sense a feeling of pride that he was finally able to go out on his own. After a moment, Kisame became fed up with the silence and smacked the child's back.

"Look, you're going to do just fine. It's going to be like every other mission, only you don't have to lead anyone to us. All you need to do is get that Gaara kid's guard down around you. Here's a plus side. If you play your cards right, you can earn the trust of that village, and once we got the Shukaku, you can get revenge on them simply by betraying them." The shark-man's comment seemed to ignite a sadistic gleam in the youngest male's eyes and he smirked before grinning cheerfully.

"I'll do it! So the guy's name is Gaara, right?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Yes…I also have one personal request." Itachi mentioned, remembering his younger brother.

"Okay! Anything for Ita-kun!" Naruto said with a smile, but stopped when he noticed the dead-serious look on his savior's face.

"My little brother. I want you to make sure he's still broken. I don't want him to revive the Uchiha Clan. If he isn't, break him." It was more of an order than a request, but Naruto still knew he was given the option to decline. Itachi wouldn't be happy about it, but he would understand. Of course, no matter what, Naruto couldn't bring himself to say 'no' to the man who saved his life.

So he smiled softly. "Of course, Ita-kun."

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**Neko-chan: This is rushed, so I'm just going to say R&R PPLS!!!**


	2. Phase 1

**Neko-chan: Hey there. A new chapter is here!**

**Naruto: Finally!**

**NC: Yeah, yeah. Anyways, something really funny happened a few weeks ago. Me and my friends do this thing where we're called the anime character that we either like, or are most like. So, I decided to have a conversation with them using their 'names'. Here's the convo.**

_Sasuke Amanda_

_Naruto Jesica_

_Jiraiya Sage(me)_

**_Jiraiya: Sasuke, a lot of my reviewers want me to burn you alive._**

**_Sasuke: Oh darn._**

**_Naruto: Ha ha!_**

**_Jiraiya: -snickers- Hey, at least he's not the one who's being molested by everyone._**

**_Naruto: …WAIT, WHAT?! Sasuke, can we trade?_**

**_Sasuke: No. _**

**_Naruto: Darn it!_ **

NC: Yeah, there you go. Now that you read it, I'm going to go with the story now!

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The villagers were angry. Now, in the past, they would be angry because something good happened to the village 'monster' but it's been years since the young blond has been seen. Some say he was the cause of the Uchiha Massacre, which was discredited by the youngest Uchiha, who said he saw his brother commit the deed. Others said that Itachi killed Naruto after killing his clan, which was a more well liked theory.

Of course, since it's been nearly six years since they've seen the blond, this wasn't why they were angry. No, they were angry because the survivor of that massacre, the boy who was going to be the one who would rebuild one of their most powerful clans, could not participate in the Chunin exams. Why? Because they were assigned to a C-class turned A-class mission that ended with one of his teammates dieing. Really, this was _Uchiha_ Sasuke! Why is something as minor as the death of some village nobody an excuse to keep him from becoming a chunin! It was outrageous!

"This is such a pain in the ass." Kakashi muttered as he walked right outside of the village gates. His team, which consisted of the Uchiha survivor and the co-president of said Uchiha's fan club, had the day off. It was already a given that the team with Uchiha Sasuke would be recommended for the Chunin exams, but the exams could only be taken in three man squads. Which meant, they were out.

So, he was currently taking a leisurely walk outside of the village. The tense atmosphere was getting on his nerves. It's not the end of the world if their 'precious Uchiha' couldn't become chunin that year. Geeze, all they had to do was wait until the next year. They usually distribute the failing genins into sets of three, so it was likely they could get a new team member for the next exams.

_Of course, they can't wait a year. They're already quizzing the academy students to see if there's one on level with our team. I truly doubt it._ He thought with a sigh. As he thought that, he suddenly froze, sensing the presence of someone near here. It couldn't have been ANBU, because they were trained to erase their presence…so who?

"Excuse me…" A gentle voice murmured. Reflexively, Kakashi pinned the owner of the voice to a tree, a kunai poised at the tanned throat.

Wide, fearful blue eyes stared at him, as if expecting to be killed on the spot, but Kakashi didn't move. "State your name and business." He said.

"M-my na-name is N-Naruto. I-I-I-I was t-told by K-Ketsueki-ojii-san t-to give this to the Ho-Hokage." The stranger stuttered. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but he felt no lie in the statement, so he let the male down.

It was only when he stepped away that Kakashi noticed that the stranger he pinned to a tree was merely a child, about twelve-years-old. It was no wonder he was so terrified. As the child tried to recover, the Copy Nin took closer observation of him. He was a blond, with long hair that brushed his shoulders. The boy was wearing a long, plain black cloak that looked too big for his lithe form, and a large umbrella-hat, which indicated that he probably was a traveler. Kakashi noted the scroll that was tied securely to the boy's body, meaning that it was too important to let out of sight, and that was probably what the boy was told to deliver.

"Who did you say ordered you to come here?" Kakashi asked once Naruto looked assured that he wouldn't be attacked again.

"Ketsueki-ojii-san. I wanted to become a ninja, so he told me to come here with this note to give to the Hokage." The silver haired male raised an eyebrow. This was a strange time for someone to come asking to become a ninja. Usually even home-trained students would come at the beginning of the school year to apply for one year of learning in the village before becoming a genin. However, the academy already started about two months ago, and it was too late for new students unless the student had a _really_ fast learning ability.

"Let me see the letter." The elder male said simply. Naruto looked at him skeptically before taking the scroll and handing it to Kakashi, who inspected the scroll for traps of any kind. "Come with me." He finally said, deciding that it would be best if he brought this boy to the Hokage. Kakashi didn't know why, but Naruto's presence disturbed him. He looked behind him and saw the blonde's eyes wide in curiosity as he gazed at the large village in wonder.

_I must be imagining things. _Kakashi thought, turning his gaze back to their tall destination. When he turned, he failed to notice the narrowed eyes and the once wide mouth closed and twisted in a sadistic smirk.

_This is going to be so easy…_

------

_Hokage-sama, _

_My name is Ketsueki, and that is all I can tell you, for I do not wish for you or for anyone else to try and trace me down. I assure you that everything I am about to tell you is the complete truth. _

_Uzumaki Naruto has been in my care for five, nearly six, years. I had found him in the forest with a trio of men beating him and took him away after using a genjutsu on the men. Yes, I am a ninja, but that is not the point of this letter. Naruto has told me he is an orphan, so I decided to care for him myself, and he agreed. I have been training him myself, and he soon became interested in becoming a ninja himself. _

_That is why he is there, to become an official shinobi of his home village. He has told me that you were one of the few who has cared for him, so I pray that you will be fair to him. He has a great deal of potential, and I assure you, you will not be disappointed in his abilities, or his enthusiasm to learn more. _

_I should also tell you that me and many other retired ninjas will not take any offence to him sitting down. He has become a treasure to me and to everyone in this village, so many who have sheathed their swords will take them out again if necessary. This is not a threat, but a warning against any misdeeds against him. _

_But, other than that, I do wish you luck! This bundle of sunshine will be quite a handful, and I don't think a man of your age could keep up. _

_-Ketsueki _

Sarutobi looked up at the two males in his office after he finished reading the scroll. The message seemed completely serious before the final comment. His gaze settled on the blond boy, who was tensed and standing there meekly, his eyes staring at the floor as he fidgeted nervously. He seemed to be very anxious as to what the Hokage would say.

"So, you want to be a shinobi, Naruto?" He asked with a gentle smile. Naruto jumped at the sudden noise and looked up before smiling and nodding, a wide grin threatening to split his face.

"Hai!" He said happily, and the Hokage's smile widened a fraction. He could sense the enthusiasm coming off the blond. He looked at the letter again and his eyebrows furrowed. Whoever this man is, he failed to mention how far Naruto was in his training. This would be difficult for the elderly man to place him in the academy.

"Naruto, do you think you can wait outside while I speak with Kakashi-san here?" He asked. The blond nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. He sat on one of the wooden chairs by the office and closed his eyes. While he was there, he might as well plan his next move.

The note written was mostly by Kisame, since Itachi mentioned that the Hokage would probably be able to recognized his own. The blue man thought to start off serious, but to add humor into it, just so the Hokage wouldn't suspect Naruto to be brought up as some kind of emotionless weapon, even if Naruto's attitude from the entrance to the tower made that theory seem impossible. But, all in all, things were pretty much going the way he'd hoped.

Naruto knew about the team he was aiming to join, and he already knew how to do it. All he had to do was get a rumor starting that the Kyuubi vessel was back and that he was mid-genin level. He was sure that, despite their hatred towards him, they would want to add him to the team seeing as he's the only one available. They will probably go straight to the council instead of the Hokage since they all knew the attachment the man had for him.

The rumor phase was already completed. He used Kage Bunshin, a technique Itachi had taken from a forbidden scroll that he took a peek in a few months before the clan massacre, and a henge to make two, ordinary villagers. The two were sent to a shop to gossip about the 'demon vessel' returning and that 'it would be a perfect chance for the Uchiha's team'. After a few people heard, the gossip, and the idea, spread. From the information the clones gathered, the plan was to test his ability to see if he would hold the Uchiha back. Naruto nearly scoffed at that thought. If anything it will be the _Great Sasuke_ who will hold _him_ back. But, he made a promise to Itachi. He would break the boy, and the first thing he had to do was get close to him.

**_Exactly what are you planning?_** A certain furball wondered. Kyuubi was always slightly interested in Naruto's schemes, solely because the plans usually involved destroying someone, physically or emotionally, until there was nothing left. His jailor interested him greatly. Being a Kitsune, the Kyuubi could sense and see what humans could not. For example, he could sense the soul inside of a person, and the quality of that soul. Usually, by the time a person's ideals set in, their soul is one form. It can slowly change as the person's ideal changes, but the process is, like I said, slow. It doesn't happen immediately.

Yet, with Naruto, his soul changes form almost in an instant. Usually, Naruto's soul is in the form of a white feline, the white symbolizing purity, and the cat, playfulness, which was understandable. It stays that way even during his missions, which is why everyone is always fooled. They can't sense a lie, because Naruto convinces himself it's the truth before facing them. However, when the blond has finished leading the target to Itachi and Kisame, or he has to kill the target himself, the form of his soul changes, in an instant, into a blood-red bat. The red, malevolence, and the bat, blood-lust. Kyuubi has never seen such a change, and he was very interested in the blond vessel.

_Oh, I have a _lot_ of things planned for little Sasuke. First things first, I need to gain his trust. _Naruto inwardly smirked sadistically. Oh yes, Naruto was truly a sadist, which was the reason why he enjoyed deception missions so, so much. The look of pain, betrayal, and anger reflected on the target's face was always enjoyable to him. He didn't know why, it just made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

**_Considering you're about a foot short for your age, I don't think you have much of a right to call anyone else little._** Naruto bristled in anger at the teasing and pouted. The five hundred foot demon was always, _always_ poking fun at his height! He was starting to get tired of his 'I JUST HAVEN'T HIT MY GROWTH SPURT' argument, and, frankly, the fox would just continue poking fun afterwards.

"Excuse me there." Angry blue eyes opened before Naruto remembered where exactly he was. The Kyuubi watched as the red bat suddenly morphed back into the white cat.

"Hello!" Naruto said to the woman in front of him, who was taken aback by the flicker of anger, which was suddenly replaced with large, cheerful eyes and a full grin. The woman couldn't help but shiver in fury. What right did this _demon_ have to be happy?!

_Calm down girl, this is for the sake of the village. Once the Uchiha becomes chunin, we can get rid of this thorn in our side once and for all._ The thought calmed her down and she forced a professional face on while looking at the boy.

"Hokage-sama wishes for you to follow me. We're going to begin your testing to see where you stand in your training." She said. Naruto almost burst out in laughter right there. Who the hell would fall for such a lie? He may have had his eyes closed, but he was aware that he was right next to the Hokage's office door, and there was no way she could have been instructed to take him anywhere without the Hokage asking her to come in himself, which he didn't. How stupid did she think he was?

"Okay!" Pretty stupid…

The woman nodded and walked down the hall, knowing the demon was following her. She wanted nothing more than to smack that child silly for smiling after what he did to the village twelve years ago. How the Hokage could _like_ this beast, she would never understand. But she knew she couldn't have the satisfaction of seeing him scream until _after_ he's served his purpose. After that, it's open season, and the village was going to hunt down a fox.

She didn't realize that the 'fox' was well aware she was close to snapping just by being near him. She wouldn't though. That would make him mistrust her, and then he would go to the Hokage, who would tell him he never asked anyone to escort him anywhere, and the Naruto would have to go through the academy, and both their plans would be completely ruined.

"We're here." The woman said, a tiny hint of bitterness escaping her. Naruto nodded, but then he remembered the third reason he was here.

_My revenge on Konoha. All right, Naruto, time to turn on the charms._ He thought, and Kyuubi watched. It would be a blast to poke fun at his jailor about this later.

"Thank you." Against her better judgment, the woman looked down at the demon's face, only to step back in surprise. The blond was smiling one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen. Pure relief flooded his eyes and tears pricked to corners of them. She caught herself and grimaced. Was that _guilt_ she was feeling?

"W-what are you thanking me for?" She couldn't help but ask. All she did was lie to him and take him to the room where the council would test him, and she was sure he could feel the aura of hatred that surrounded her. So why did he seem so…happy?

"For being so kind to me. I was scared, so very scared that people would be mean to me again when I came back, but you were nice. You could have refused to escort me, but you did anyways. I feel so happy, I can't even describe it. So, thank you. Thank you very, very much, Onee-san." He said hanging his head, the smile still in place, and she could see the tears falling. With a cheerful giggle and a wave, he disappeared into the room, leaving the woman dumbfounded outside.

_What…the hell was that about?! Did that monster think, for even a second that I was _willingly_ taking him here?! I want nothing more than to stay fifty feet away from him at all times! Ugh, that demon brat! I'm going to enjoy seeing him die!_ She thought angrily as she stormed off. Although her mind kept repeating that she despised the demon that took her grandparents away, her heart felt horrible that he trusted her so completely despite her ill intentions, and her soul felt refreshed from the smile he gave her.

One down, 996 to go.

---

**_BUWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! _**

-twitch-

_Shut up… _

**_How can I? I can't believe you pulled out_ that _face! I wish I could take a picture of that! It was the best yet! I suspect you'll be using it a lot, though. I am going to completely enjoy an entire mission filled with your infamous _Uke Face_. BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!_**

Naruto twitched again. Why, oh why, did he pull out the face when Kyuubi was awake? He knew that face was useful in turning women onto his side, and even men, when used correctly. Kisame has seen it when Naruto was nearby, trying to convince one of their targets to come into their agreed place to kill her. It was then that Naruto tried to pull of a childish form of the puppy-eyes. However, Naruto couldn't pull off childish puppy-eyes. If he tried, he would just make a face that was much, _much_ more powerful than the eyes and the kicked puppy look put together. His lip would tremble, his eyes would water, and he would seem to have an unearthly glow around him. That, Kisame had said, was the classic _Uke Face_, but Naruto had turned it into an art form. No one, not even the coldest of hearts, could resist it. Except for those who were used to it, but even Itachi submitted to the power of the face, which was used to get ice cream and other various forms of sweets. It didn't work after about a week, but, boy, did Naruto relish it.

Of course, the teasing coming from both Kisame and Kyuubi was annoying as hell. He was able to escape from Kisame's jeers, but Kyuubi was inside of him, so he couldn't really block his ears and yell 'lalalalala'. He just hoped that he could get through this mission without tearing his hair out. But, he had to suck it up. The only way to gain the trust of the village was _that_ face. It was his most powerful weapon, and he knew he would need it.

"Uzumaki-san…" A voice said, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts. He knew he wasn't alone in the dark room, but the Kyuubi was annoying him, so he didn't acknowledge their presence until the deep voice spoke up.

"Hai?" He asked, looking up in the direction where the voice had spoken. He saw five shadows seated in what looked like some kind of viewing room. It was a second later that the blond realized they were going to view _him_.

"We're aware that you wish to become a shinobi. However, we wish to test you, to see whether or not your will be worth the teachings in the academy." An elderly woman said. Naruto made himself look confused, but inwardly he was congratulating himself. He knew why he was here, and what she said was mostly a lie. They did want to test him, but he either shows he's not too strong or too weak, or die by their hands before the Hokage could blink. They knew that anyone would gladly take the blame for his death, the consequences being worth it for their name to be honored and for their family to live their lives loved for being related to 'such a hero'.

"Oh, okay then! When's the test! Oh, I hope it's not too hard, I didn't study." He said, acting as if he thought it was a paper test. They sneered at his stupidity, but decided to begin anyways. The sooner this is done with, the sooner he could leave.

"Your test begins now." Naruto had sensed the hidden presence in the room for quite some time, so he was ready to dodge when several kunai whizzed towards him. However, he allowed a few to graze his side, so he wouldn't rouse suspicion.

"Ack! What are you doing! I wasn't ready!" He snapped, causing the council members to roll their eyes. Did he really expect for his enemies to _wait_ for him to be ready before attacking. Stupid demon. However, the reflex was mildly impressive. He could be promising.

_Okay, dodge around a bit, a few well-placed kicks. Not too hard, though. He's a mid-chunin, I'm not supposed to be able to beat him, just make him tired. I'll give him about three hours for his stamina. Focus on speed and defense, they need to see that I have a vast amount of stamina, but not a lot of strength. That's what they are expecting. That's what they want. _Naruto was deep in thought, but his body was already putting his plan into action before he finished planning it. He knew the plan, all he needed was to tell his brain of it so that he didn't screw it up.

"The vessel is fast, but, judging from the offence, he is lacking in the strength department. No wonder, considering how scrawny he is." Naruto's keen hearing picked up the insult and he held back a growl. He wasn't scrawny, he was lean! He'd like to see them try and stay burly with Itachi's torture/training! Of course, it could always just be the way the blond was built, but there was no way he was going to admit he was naturally skinny.

"I agree, but, remember, we're to kill him if he seems too strong for our liking. The speed and stamina will make it so he can hold his own, and not be a burden to his unfortunate team."

"Ugh, I wish there was another way to get the Uchiha to participate. He's capable enough to pick up the dead weight of the Haruno girl. He doesn't even need a three-man-team. We should have been focusing on his development instead of giving him to a sensei who would split his time three ways." Naruto smirked inwardly. Ah, pressure, something he could use later on.

"All right, I've seen enough. Tomi. Stop!" A man grumbled, and the chunin, much to his disappointment, stopped his assault. Sure, he hadn't hit the demon as much as he'd like, but the punches he did get in were satisfactory enough until the exams were over and the village could do what they want with the beast. He turned to inspect the damage he had done, but was surprised to see the demon already up and bouncing happily. Tomi was surprised at the wide grin and stepped back when the thing bounced to him.

"That was so much fun! You're such a good fighter, Tomi-senpai, I don't think I could ever find someone who could fight as good as you here! I hope we can do it again sometime." He said with a wide and cheerful grin. Tomi stepped back in shock, then he turned and ran out the door, causing Naruto to pout. "Aw, why did he run like that?"

995 to go. Naruto could feel the effect he had on the boy, and tried, keyword: _tried_ to block out the Kyuubi's loud laughter as he turned to the council.

"We've decided. You are to go to the Hokage with this. You're going to be assigned to a team, who you will meet up with at ten 'o clock sharp tomorrow morning. If you do anything to upset the members of that team, or hold them back, you _will _be punished justly. Are we clear?" The gruff voice demanded as a scroll was dropped. Naruto picked up the scroll and grinned up at the council, deciding not to use _the face_ on them just yet.

"Okay then! Thank you for the time!" He said and ran out. He didn't even try to hold in the victorious smirk as he got outside.

_Way too easy… _

_

* * *

_

**NC: Yeah, the 'test' was kind of quick. That's because I didn't have too many ideas for it. And the Uke Face does not belong to me. It belongs to the genius who created yaoi. Anyways, here you go. Bye!**


	3. The newest teammate

**Neko-chan: I'M BACK!!!!!**

**Naruto: CRAZY WOMAN! RUN AWAY!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!**

**Neko-chan: -sweatdrop- Er...anywho, I'm back with a new chapter! Ain't you glad? Just to let you know, there is going to be mild Sakura bashing, but that's because Sakura is just annoying in the first part of the anime. I promise I'll give her some light when I can.**

**Sasuke: -tied up in a corner- Why the hell am I like this?**

**Neko-chan: Because you destroyed half of my place with your stupid rivalry with you brother!**

**Sasuke: SO WHY THE HELL ISN'T _HE_ TIED UP!!!**

**Itachi: Foolish ototo, do you really believe that I can even be caught by such a weak girl?**

**Naruto: Uh oh...-feels a dark aura- I think we're going to find out.**

**Neko-chan: Iiiiiitaaaaachiiiiiii!**

**Naruto: Uhhh...While Neko-chan is going after Itachi, I should let you know she owns absolutlely nothing but the plotline. Steal it and forever be tormented by the evil leprichans of Zexon 12**

**Sasuke: The hell?**

**Naruto: Don't look at me, she's the author.**

**Neko-chan: ONE MORE THING!!!! There's a bit of Mary-sue in this! Only for a paragraph, though. All right, now, I'm going to go after Itachi!**

_

* * *

_

Uchiha Sasuke was currently annoyed.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad to see you!"

Very annoyed.

"Can you believe it? Kakashi-sensei is going to recommend _us_ for the Chunin Exams!"

So annoyed, he was about to pull his hair out.

"Of course, I know _you're _going to pass!"

So annoyed that he was going to go against all of his principles and lose it.

"It's because Sasuke-kun is so cool!"

Can anyone figure out why he's annoyed? If you can, do tell the one annoying him, because she doesn't seem to get it.

Why, oh, why did Sage have to die? She was one of the only girls that didn't fawn over him and she constantly told Sakura to shut up when the girl was getting on _both_ of their nerves. However, when Zabuza almost sliced Sakura in half, the dark haired girl threw herself in front of the blade. Before she died, she was muttering something about 'Mary-Sues' and how she would rather die than become one. Strangely after that, Shikamaru, who had a long-time crush on her, suddenly stopped and just really didn't care.

The point was, he was suffering, alone, and it _sucked_! It would have been bearable if Kakashi-sensei were actually on time for once. But hell would freeze over before that happened. In fact, even now, the elder man was three hours late. Oh well, he should be here soon.

"Yo."

Speak of the devil.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU'RE LATE!!!" Sakura shrieked. The greeting wasn't as loud as usual, seeing as their third team member was usually the one who would join in.

"I was busy making preparations for our newest teammate." He said, half lying. He was busy, but he finished two hours ago.

"LIA…wait, what did you say?"

"I said I was busy making preparations for our new teammate, who doesn't seem to be here." He said looking around, but then he heard someone clear their throat over at the trees.

"Ano…I've been here for a while now." The three turned to the trees by the bridge, where a boy was standing, looking at them meekly.

To say the Hokage was angry the other day was an understatement, but what's done is done. The test the council gave, though without his permission, was legitimate and Naruto did seem stronger than the average academy student was, so Sarutobi had little choice but to allow Naruto to become a member of Team 7.

So, there Naruto was. He was there since the clock struck 10, but the only person he saw was a pink haired girl he recognized as Haruno Sakura, a girl who used to be a really shy person. From the looks of her now, she was just like every other fangirl, confident, and _loud_. It was another hour before Uchiha Sasuke arrived, and Naruto focused on him.

The resemblance to Itachi was quite fascinating, but, they were brothers after all, so it should have been expected. The duck-ass hairstyle was a real embarrassment, though. Itachi would never be caught dead with such a hairstyle! Anyways, Naruto stood there until the man from yesterday arrived, just studying the youngest Uchiha. He wasn't anything special, and his chakra levels only told Naruto how weak the older boy was. Not as weak as the girl, but weak nonetheless.

_And Ita-kun wants this boy to become strong enough to kill him? At this point, he'll barely be able to give me a bruise, let alone kill his brother. Of course, Ita-kun must want that. He knows that his ototo would never be strong enough to kill him, but he wants him to try. To focus only on revenge and to veer away from reviving his clan. That's a pretty good plan, but of course, Ita-kun is a genius. I shouldn't have expected anything less._ Naruto inwardly giggled, but smacked himself for sounding like some obsessed fan. He sensed Kakashi-sensei's arrival and heard the loud shouts from Sakura. What a banshee…

"I said I was busy making preparations for our new teammate, who doesn't seem to be here." Naruto decided this would be the best time to let himself be known, so he made himself seem as shy as possible and peeked from behind the tree he was watching from.

"Ano…I've been here for a while now."

He looked at them meekly, seeming to withdraw into himself as all eyes were on him. He looked terrified at all the attention, so Kakashi decided to break the ice.

"Ah, there you are! I was thinking that maybe you were going to be late, what with everything you had to do yesterday. Come over here, you need to introduce yourself with your new team." The man said beckoning Naruto over. The blond nodded and ran over to the bridge, keeping his eyes downcast to avoid eye-contact. "Well, go ahead, tell us a bit about yourself."

"What do I say, exactly?" Naruto asked him. Kakashi sighed and shook his head. Why is it that first-timers could never grasp the concept of introductions?

"Name, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and dreams. Sakura, why don't you show him?" He asked the pink haired girl. She nodded. She knew the boy seemed familiar to her and he seemed to be kind. So she hoped that they could become friends…and hopefully make Sasuke jealous.

"Well, I'm Haruno Sakura. My hobbies are…(stalking Sasuke)…Well, I like…(Sasuke)…I really don't like Ino or my stupid forehead. As for dreams, I hope to…(marry Sasuke)…" Naruto tilted his head while getting a headache from the Kyuubi's laughter, not to mention his own mental crack up.

"All I really learned is that you don't like someone and your forehead, which looks fine to me, by the way." He said. The last sentence made her smile widely.

"All right, maybe Sasuke could help you." Kakashi suggested. The dark haired boy snorted, but decided he may as well get this over with.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. My only 'hobby' is to get stronger. I don't like much of anything (tomatoes), and I hate a lot of things (Sakura's voice). As for my dreams…tch, don't make me laugh. I only have a goal. To revive my clan, and to kill…a certain man..."

Naruto froze at the 'certain man' part. Even though he's already convinced himself there was no way this weakling was going to kill the man, the blond couldn't help but feel pissed off that someone was really planning on hurting Ita-kun! He wasn't going to allow that, no way!

**_Shut it, Kit. You should be happy that half of your work is done. All you have to do is make the brat completely dismiss the idea of 'reviving' the clan. Oi! Are you listening to me?!_**

_Yeah, I'm listening. _Naruto thought, still growling in his mind. Uh-oh, they're staring, he better do something.

"Wow! You sure sound like you've got a lot on your shoulder! I've heard about the Uchihas, and I also heard everyone is expecting you to be really, really great at everything! Top that off with the expectation to revive an entire clan! You must have so much pressure on you!" He said with a pout. Sasuke looked away and scoffed.

"I don't care." He muttered. Their sensei decided that was enough about Uchihas. The last thing he needed is for Sasuke to storm off angrily.

"So, what about you? You think you can handle it now?" He asked. Naruto looked up at him and nodded before smiling brightly at them.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! My hobbies are training with my precious person and picking on his partner. I like ice cream and trying to get my precious person to get me it. I did find something that worked for about a week until he became immune to it, but it's still fun trying! I don't like people who insult me for something I had nothing to do with –Kakashi flinched at this- and people who want to hurt my precious person. My dream is to become the strongest and to make him proud of me. Also, I'm determined to get him to smile, he never does, you know?" Kakashi nodded and applauded him for being the _only one_ out of the three who actually told them about himself instead of blushing or just plain not telling them much.

"All right, now that we're through with that, it's time for us to begin training. The exams are in a month, and you three have time to decided whether you want to participate or not. It's completely understandable if you don't want to, there's no pressure at all." He assured them. Naruto held back a scoff. He knew that Kakashi was just trying to keep Sasuke from pressuring Sakura and Naruto, himself, against pulling from the exams. Though Naruto wasn't going to pull from it, not if he wanted to complete his mission.

"We're not going to do anymore D-ranked missions, are we?" Sakura whined. Naruto could feel Sasuke get tense at the thought of a D-ranked mission. Kisame had told him how boring they were and how D-ranked hardly ever helped bring out the potential in genins, but they were the lowest class, so they were stuck with them.

"Nope, since we're back a month early from our last mission, most of the missions for the month are reserved for the other genin teams. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing. That means an entire month of training for the chunin exams. We're going to start off by seeing what our new member can do. Sasuke and Naruto, you two will spar and the winner spars with Sakura. Got it?" All three of them nodded and the two younger males walked to a training field.

"Do your best, you two!" Sakura called. She really wanted to cheer for Sasuke, but Naruto seemed like a really nice boy (since he said her forehead wasn't that bad), so she didn't want him to feel bad.

_Speed and stamina, Naruto, speed and stamina._ That was the chant going on in the blond boy's head as he smiled widely at his opponent. He really was excited, hoping to get a more accurate picture of Sasuke's power. Naruto could only make an educated guess from the chakra reserves, but it's possible that Sasuke could be more attuned to Taijutsu, meaning chakra reserves meant little more than nothing.

"Don't cry when I beat you." The blond teased. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and went into a fighting stance. He was going to make sure this guy knows exactly who's the better on their team.

"Taijutsu only, no weapons. Begin!" Kakashi ordered. Seeing as weapons were out of the options, Sasuke charged forwards to the youngest male, who just stood there. At the last second, however, he skillfully dodged and kicked the raven-haired boy in the back.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?!" Sakura cried, suddenly worried. Then she noticed how Sasuke blinked after stumbling forward a bit and looked at their new teammate incredulously.

"That was…pathetic." He commented. Sure, the kick had enough force to get him stumbling, but there was no pain in it at all. There should have been from the way Naruto kicked. The before-mentioned blond blushed.

"Okay, so I don't have a lot of power in my kicks. I was trained for speed, not strength." He pouted cutely, making Sakura giggle, but Kakashi had his eyes narrowed in confusion. He was trained in only one area.

_Sure, speed is a good offence in itself, but if this boy is captured with no way of running, he needs strength. From the look on Sasuke's face, this boy has none of that. What was the council thinking? _He thought, deciding to talk about this with the Hokage later. The spar continued, and, a while later, Kakashi began to see the genius in focusing on speed. Sasuke was getting tired, and quickly. Sure, Naruto still needed more on the strength department, but he had amazing stamina. It was probably due to the nine-tailed fox demon.

_"I don't like people who insult me for something I had nothing to do with."_

The jounin flinched. That sentence had made him suspicious, and he wondered if Naruto knew about the fox demon. It also made the man feel guilty. Now, he wasn't one of those people who went after the blond and beat him to a pulp, or scorned him, or did anything to make the blond hurt or upset. Yet, that was why he was feeling guilty. He didn't do _anything_. Kakashi remembered those times when he could have saved Naruto from a beating, from being cheated out of his monthly allowance, or from having his small apartment vandalized and destroyed. He could have done something, but he was young. Stupid. He blamed Naruto for the death of his sensei…

_That's no excuse, though. I should have known better. I was ANBU! I may have been too young to see past the bridge of my nose, but an ANBU's duty, a _ninja's_ duty is to protect the citizens from danger. I didn't protect one boy because of my petty anger._

Kakashi sighed at the thought. He really did some straightening up after the blonde's disappearance. Sure, a lot were celebrating, but there was one other, other than the Hokage, who was miserable about the loss of the boy. That was a newly qualified teacher at the academy at the time. He was one of the few who were kind to Naruto, and Kakashi saw how he loved the blond like a brother. He was well loved in the academy, but when news got to him that his little brother was gone, maybe even dead, he was broken to pieces. It took months for them to convince him to teach again, he wasted away. Even now, Iruka was really discouraged from teaching children who's spirits reminded him so much of the one he considered family, the only family he had left. Maybe Kakashi could convince Naruto to follow him for a visit.

"All right, you two, that's enough." He finally called. Sasuke looked exhausted, but it seemed that he got a few well placed hits on Naruto, who was clutching his side in pain. The blond knew he wasn't really in pain, but he had to put on an act, right?

"Kakashi-sensei, who won?" Sakura asked. The silver haired man held his chin in thought, and then shrugged.

"It looks like a tie. Sasuke is exhausted and Naruto looks pretty beaten up. But, thanks to them, I'm going to put you on a new training regimen. Sakura and Sasuke, this month, we're going to up your speed a little. As for you, Naruto, you need to work on your strength. Are we clear?"

"Hai." Sakura was the only one who answered. Sasuke didn't really answered anything, and Naruto was a bit confused at the moment.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"What about Sakura-san? Shouldn't she spar too?" This wasn't right. It looked like Kakashi was only concerned for him and Sasuke. Sure, Sakura could use some tips in speed, but she was so weak physically! Shouldn't the jounin know that? He was supposed to be their trainer, but, by focusing on two instead of three, he's not doing his job right!

_"Naruto-kun, don't be surprised at some of the things you find there. You haven't been in that place for so long, so you may have forgotten already. Konoha is shallow. They will only focus on those who _are_ strong instead of those that _could be_ strong. If you come off as weak to them, they will kill you before you even go into the academy. They have no use for the weak, but also, you must remember that they fear those who are too strong. Come off in the middle, and your mission will be easy." _

He remembered the last words he heard from their leader before he left. Those words hit him most because he remembered how his first year at the academy was. He would mess up on the first try, and they would ignore him and wouldn't help him improve. If he got something right the first try, they would either call it luck, or stalk him on his way home and beat him 'because the demon must have started resurfacing'. Naruto was just surprised at this man's attitude. He honestly hoped that this man would be better than that, but, of course, he expected too much out of a Konoha citizen.

"You just worry about your own training, Naruto, and I'll worry about hers." The copy-nin said. He thought, for a second, he felt a fierce spike in chakra coming from the boy, but it was gone in an instant. He must be imagining things.

"H-hai." Naruto muttered half-heartedly. Then he smacked himself for getting so worked up over a detail he shouldn't be concerned about.

_Why the hell are you worrying about some girl you're going to end up betraying in the end? This is a mission, Naruto! A _mission_! You're not allowed to get close to the pawns you're going to control! No, you're not concerned about her, you're concerned she'll get herself killed, thus causing the team to fail the exams, and it would be near impossible to get close to the Shukaku vessel! That's your only worry. _After a few minutes of berating himself, he focused on Kakashi, who had finished instructing Sakura and Sasuke and only just began telling him his own training regimen.

It was a few hours before the man dismissed them, Sakura and Sasuke being worn out and Naruto looking a little worse for wear. He had purposely made his hands and legs bleed so he looked like he wasn't used to any actual hitting. The wounds that bled were closed, but they couldn't see that. Sakura had walked home after asking Sasuke out on a date, and being rejected again, and Kakashi was long gone. So, at the moment, Sasuke was walking back to that deserted estate of his. Surprisingly, Naruto was right by his side.

"I hope you don't mind me walking with you. My apartment is this way." He said.

"Hn." Was the only reply. There was just silence as they walked. Naruto tried to whistle, just to keep that annoying buzz out of his ear, but a glare from the Uchiha put a stop to it.

_Okay, what to do, what to do?_ Naruto pondered, not seeing how he can go anywhere with someone as silent at the boy next to him.

**_Start a conversation you idiot!_** The fox growled within him.

_Oh yeah, right!_ Scolding himself for not thinking about it before, he just said the first thing that came out of his head.

"You know, Sakura-san looked like she really likes you." Naruto said, causing the dark haired boy to freeze. The blond thought he had said the wrong thing, but then realized how random it was. Oh well, he had to keep going. "I see her blush whenever she looks at you, and she seemed really disappointed when you said you wouldn't walk with her. You must be a real lady's man."

Sasuke has started walking again a few seconds before and had just rolled his eyes at the teasing. This kid must really hate silences to come up with something completely random at a moment's notice. His onyx eyes drifted to the blond, who was talking about the training and unimportant events. Naruto was…strange, to say the least, but, most of all, familiar. The Uchiha had no idea where he's seen this boy before, but he knows that he has. So he dug through his memories, trying to find the one that contained a blond boy with blue eyes.

As he studied his newest teammate, Sasuke took note that they were in the marketplace where people were still crowding the streets as they made their way home. He saw angry glances, disgusted glares, and hushed whispers.

All of them aimed at Naruto.

"Hey." Sasuke said, interrupting the current rant (something about logs) of the other male. Blue eyes turned to him as they left the marketplace and the crowd thinned until they were the only ones left walking. This was the path to the Uchiha estate. No one came down there anymore. "Why were they glaring at you?"

Naruto blinked before realizing that they had passed a crowd of people. Most of which should have recognized him and started glaring. The blond just hadn't noticed it and he cheered his luck before looking down sadly. The air was tense and they had stopped walking.

"I…don't know…" He finally said smiling sadly. "It's been that way ever since I was little, even before I left."

"Before you left? Then you did live here before." There was a nod and they continued walking. However, the uncomfortable air never left them.

"I was born here and I lived here until I was seven before I was chased out of the village. I never knew why. I figured it was because I was an orphan, but there were other orphans, and they were treated so kindly. But never me. Never the 'monster'." He murmured before blinking, as if he just realized he was talking with someone. "Ah, sumimassen, Sasuke-san. I didn't mean to ramble. My building is here, I'll leave you now. Good night."

With that said, the blond took off to a tall building on the right. Sasuke watched him run up the stairs into an apartment. Even as he arrived at his empty estate, into his home, and up to get ready for bed, that broken voice never left his thoughts.

_"Never the 'monster'." _

_Uzumaki Naruto, you truly are an enigma. _Was the last of the Uchiha's thoughts before he went to bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Naruto: I'm so angsty!**

**Sasuke: And I'm so gullible!**

**Neko-chan: AND I'M TIRED!!!!**

**Naruto: -sighs- well it's your fault you decided to chase after Itachi!**

**NC: He was making fun of me.**

**Sasuke: And how old are you? Don't you think you're a little old ti throw a tantrum just because he called you weak?**

**Neko-chan: Watch it, EMO boy, you're still tied up. Well, this is the longest leaving conversation we've ever had here, so I'm going to leave you! Until next time! Bazanee!**

* * *


	4. Dreams and schems

**NC: This is going to be a short AN, because I'm rushing to update. I'll put more up here later, so LATERS!!!**

_

* * *

8-year-old Sasuke laugh cheerfully as he played with the other kids at the playground. It was their thirty-minute lunch break from the ninja academy and he had eaten the lunch his mother made in a flash before going to play. As he slid down the slide, laughing like a maniac, he couldn't help but notice someone sitting on a swing hung by a tree far away from them. No one else was there, he was all alone, looking at the playground sadly._

Hmm…I think he's one of the first years. He's probably shy, I'll go invite him over!_ The Uchiha thought and, with a smile, he made his way towards the strange, blond boy. But then, someone grabbed his wrist. _

_"Sasu, I don't think you should play with him. My ka-san and to-san always tell me that he's really bad and that anyone who plays with him is only going to get hurt." A playmate of his said. _

_"That's what mine said too." _

_"And mine." _

_"Same here." _

_Sasuke looked at all the kids from his class, who were saying the exact same thing. Their parents called the lonely blond boy bad, and Sasuke couldn't remember someone doing anything bad enough to get everyone's parents against them. _

_"Well, Oka-san always told me to make friends with lonely people so that they won't feel lonely no mores. So I'm going." He said before making his way towards the boy. Blue eyes looked at him and, for a moment, the Uchiha thought he saw a bit of fear, before hope began to shine in them. _

_"Sasuke!" The young Uchiha flinched and turned, seeing his father who must have been passing through. Next to the clan head was his elder brother, whose eyes seemed to be focused on the lonely boy Sasuke himself was prepared to talk to. _

_"Hai, Oto-san?" He said, going to the elder man. _

_"I don't want you anywhere near that boy, understand?" Sasuke looked up at his father with confusion evident on his face. His Oto-san hated the boy too? Turning towards the blond, he wondered what exactly the child did to earn the hatred of, not only his father, but also _everyone's_ parents. It was just…weird. _

_"H-hai." The youngest of the three muttered, still looking at the boy, who seemed depressed again. Fugaku nodded and walked away, but Itachi stayed behind, still staring at the blond before making a noise of annoyance and walking away. _

_Sasuke couldn't figure out if his Nii-san was annoyed with him, with the blond, or with their father.

* * *

__"Ooo, look at that ugly forehead!" _

_"Billboard brow! Billboard brow!" _

_"She's such a weird-o." _

_Sakura sniffled and cried, trying to block out the teasing coming from the other kids in her class. They were all poking fun at her and teasing her about her huge forehead. She tried hiding it with her bangs, but that just made things worse. _

_"Leave her alone!" Someone shouted. She looked up from her hands and saw a boy in front of her and blocking her from her bullies. _

_"Are you sticking up for the forehead freak?" Someone asked accusingly. _

_"No, cuz the person I'm sticking up for isn't a freak! I think Sakura-chan is really pretty, so stop making fun of her and GO AWAY!" The stranger demanded. With a scoff, the others walked away, deciding that their fun wasn't worth getting their ears blown off by his loud voice. _

_Sakura was looking up happily at her savior, thinking it was like the fairy tales and he was her knight in shining armor or something to that effect. The boy turned and sympathetic blue eyes looked down at her. _

_"You okay, Sakura-chan? Don't listen to those dumb bullies! They're just jealous that you're going to grow up to be prettier than them." He said with a wide grin, stretching out whisker-like scars. _

_"Th-thank y-" _

_"GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!!!" Someone suddenly shouted and the blond was hit away. Sakura looked up and saw her parents. Her mother immediately pulled her into her arms and her father was glaring angrily at the boy. _

_"Shh, shh, Sa-chan, that boy isn't going to make you cry anymore." Her mother said. _

_"B-b-b-but, Oka-san! Oto-san! He wasn't the one who made me cry! He helped-" _

_"Don't stick up for this monster, Sakura!" Her father ordered, cutting her off. He was glowering down at the child, who was trembling in fear. "If I _ever_ see you near my daughter again, I'll make you wish you had really died that day, DEMON!" _

_With wide, watery eyes, Sakura's knight got up and took off down the path. She watched after him, feeling really sad and she pulled away from her mother. "I can't believe you did that, Oto-san! He didn't do nothing to me! He helped me when those bullies were teasing me about my forehead!" _

_"Oh dear, he's brainwashed her, honey! Come on, Sa-chan, we'll get you some help." her mother said sweetly. She lifted her daughter up into her arms and ignored any objections the young girl was throwing.

* * *

Naruto sighed in frustration while laying on his sad excuse for a bed. He was unbelievably, inconceivably, super, completely, to-the-bone BORED!!!_

His body was not used to more than four hours of sleep! Between training, avoiding Zetsu, and trying to become stronger without one of his two senseis behind him, he didn't get a lot of sleep. Four hours was a privilege, five hours was only if he was in a lot of ache and pain from a previous mission or Itachi's training brought up another level. He had never slept more than five hours, 28 minutes, and 43 seconds since he was a child! He may have laid in bed for hours if Itachi and Kisame were on a mission and they couldn't train him, but, even after that, he's usually in his mindscape training with Kyuubi! At the moment, the kitsune was asleep, so he had nothing else to do!

_Five more hours until we have to meet with Kakashi and another three before that sad excuse for a sensei shows up! This is _the_ most ridiculous mission I've ever been on! It's even worse than me having to seduce that gay pedophile in the Cloud! At least then I was allowed to kill him if he got too close!_ Naruto shivered at the memory of that pervert and turned to the side. He had occupied his time hours later by manipulating his two teammate's dreams so that they would remember him, even by a little. Then he went for a run around the village. Beat up a few trees, scared the pants off of a few villagers, snuck into the Hokage's office, stole some ANBU masks, and then found some female dog pheromones and spread it all over a bunch of villagers he couldn't scare before. All this without getting caught and within three hours. Now he had nothing else to do and was BORED!!!!!!

"Maybe I should go to Kakashi-sensei's and burn his books. Nah…he's a jounin. The only reason I was able to get past the guards at the tower was because I used Kage Bunshin as a distraction. Grr…WHAT THE HELL IS THERE TO DO AROUND HERE?!" He shouted in pure frustration.

Sighing he just laid there, fiddling with a necklace which was a habit he picked up. Whenever he was bored, stress, annoyed, or any combination of the three, he always played around with that necklace. It wasn't anything fancy, just a silver dragon head with ruby eyes. He had got it on his first mission with Itachi and Kisame, which was a successful one too. Since then, he had never taken it off, the eyes reminded him of Itachi, so he would think about the man whenever he touch it.

_He'll come for my report just before the Chunin exams. Damn it, 29 days is too long! Not that I'm keeping count! Hmm…maybe I could look into this Gaara kid a little more. I didn't find anything in the old man's files…All right! A new way to pass the time!_ The blond snickered before digging into his closet. He found the darkest clothing in there, a smooth ANBU mask that was missing the animal face and the usual decorative designs and a bandana to cover his hair. Tying on the bandana and the mask, he slipped out of the apartment and ran to one of the many secret exits he had found a few hours ago.

* * *

**Short, I know, update soon!**


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